A big-bodied, toolsy, can’t-miss edge presence from the Talent Factory that is Robbinsdale Cooper High School, senior 6’5, 225 lber. Abel Nason Abel Nason 6'5" | 230 lbs | DL/LB Robbinsdale Cooper | 2026 State MN is going to be a must-watch name going into the next level. Judging from his recruitment last month, it’s safe to assume that Nason is heading to the JUCO ranks after earning an FBS offer from Ball State during his junior year with the Hawks. Iowa Western CC, Hutchinson CC, College of the Sequoias, and Community Christian College offered spots in January, and Nason seems like a great candidate to continue the long line of Minnesota front-seven prospects to find success coming out of the JUCO ranks. PRZMN will be monitoring this recruitment closely heading into the spring. Outstanding length, shows some real juice on both sides of the ball as an OT and DE, and has an impressive amount of tools that I think a high-level JUCO could really develop and take advantage of.

Nason had an impact that stretched beyond the stat sheet. He recorded a sack in the first half, but throughout the evening, he provided a near constant pressure on the quarterback and had a handful of devastating QB hits. He showcased phenomenal bend around the edge throughout all four quarters, and an explosive get-off that made life difficult for the bigger and slower tackles. His pass rush bag has gotten deeper over the offseason, and the Ball State offered EDGE rusher showed off a variety of moves that granted him a quick release to the QB.

Yes, there’s more length, height, and high upside on the table in this Top Newcomer entree. You shouldn’t be surprised that talent-factory Robbinsdale Cooper has some exciting prospects on the 2026 rankings, and a must-know Top Newcomer to the recently updated Big Board is 6’6, 225 lber. Abel Nason Abel Nason 6'5" | 230 lbs | DL/LB Robbinsdale Cooper | 2026 State MN . I got to see him live against crosstown rival Armstrong during the regular season, and although it was a tough night in the trenches for Nason that game, the junior DE is oozing with upside and potential, especially when you turn on the film. Plus, he came with revenge on his mind in the Hawks rematch with Armstrong, as his playoff highlights open with him absolutely crushing a scholarship commit OT on a swipe back block in the playoff rematch with the Falcons, pulling off an eye-popping TFL against one of the best 5A teams in the state.

With premier size for a DE/EDGE, Nason sets the edge well and is physical at the point of attack, showing bend at the top of the arc and a quick first step that gets vertical and allows him to create disruption in the backfield. Nason also demonstrated closing speed, change of direction ability, and the control to mirror and chase down ball carriers in pursuit. Nason also played RT in the playoffs, displaying a clean pass set for a primarily defensive player and showed he could absorb and redistribute contact on the edge, as well as gain depth to handle speed rushes up field. Like a lot of guys on this list, I am dying to get some verified measurables on the young man, so hopefully we can get him to the spring showcase. Lot of runway left in this recruitment, folks!